


Broken Pieces in a Broken World

by ShelbyF615



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Build, multiple OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23593297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShelbyF615/pseuds/ShelbyF615
Summary: Jenni Kyle suffered more than her fair share of loss after the world fell apart, but now she scrambles to pick up the broken pieces of her life in a town called Woodbury after being found by the crude, narcissistic Merle Dixon. When Merle discovers his brother is alive, Jenni must decide who she stands with. Her town or her old life? (Set in Season 3) Eventual Daryl/OC
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

Welcome to my official Walking Dead fanfiction! I'm so excited to finally work on this! I will go ahead and say that these characters, my OCs have quite a bit of a story and it's one I made a "prequel" to, but I tried my best in this prologue and will continue to do so in the rest of the story to give as much detail and clear up as much confusion as possible because, if you're like me, you'd rather just get into the meat of it and would rather skip over the unnecessary details.

So, that being said, the prequel explaining the OCs stories and backgrounds is on both Wattpad and Fanfiction.Net and is titled, "Shattered," for those that do want to read and if you don't, that's okay with me. You are not hurting my feelings a bit! I completely understand. I will do my best to explain it in the main story so everyone's caught up.

Also, I think this is the longest prologue I have ever written because of the fact I was throwing in the necessary information from the prequel's into it, so forgive me! I can't promise I won't be so wordy ever again, but I'll try!

Anyway, I think that's all I have to say...Oh, wait, no, one more thing! Just to clear it up and not leave anyone guessing, this prologue starts in between the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3! So, in the next chapter -the first official chapter- it will begin exactly where Season 3 begins!

Okay, now I'm done. Enjoy and, please, feel free to comment! Shameless begging, I know! :P

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It had been months since they found any tangible proof of Emaley's existence. They thrived off of what nature and picked over houses provided them and, needless to say, Kelly was over it. She only kept her complaints to a minimum because she knew how important it was to the Stewart brothers to find their Emaley and little sister.

Walking alongside Matt, Kelly looked up at Chase who marched along at a steady pace. If their search had any benefits at all, it had definitely improved Chase's overall strength and his stamina. His desperation to find his only child drove him and pushed him farther that neither she nor Matt ever expected out of him. He was resilient and refused to give up until they found her. Dead or alive, he had to know.

Kelly admired Chase for his big heart and determination. He had no reason to save her from her sadistic co-worker that tied her to his bed, but he did it anyway. Even when he was hell-bent on returning to his daughter and siblings, he still chose to risk his escape by saving her. It was a debt she would owe to him for the rest of her life. Because of it, she knew she couldn't stop the search until Chase did. She owed him that, at least.

Matt reached over and took her hand in his, weaving his fingers through hers. She tore her eyes away from Chase and looked up at the oldest Stewart sibling. He had changed so much from the volatile man he used to be and she was lucky that she knew him after the end of the world otherwise, she probably would have never fallen for him.

Matt ducked his head and gave her a kiss on her chapped lips. The constant grime and Georgia sun wasn't kind to her. It wasn't kind to any of them, really.

"What was that for?" Kelly asked, biting the edge of her bottom lip and looked at him with flirty eyes.

"For being the sexiest woman of the entire apocalypse." Matt winked and gave her a wry smile.

Kelly just laughed and cocked an eyebrow. "Matt, I'm literally the only woman you've seen since the world ended."

He just shrugged. "Even better, you're the last woman alive and I get you all to myself," Matt added another wink and Kelly gave him a playful shrug.

Kelly looked up at Chase from the corner of her eye and noticed he had picked up some distance from them now. What trail he thought he was on, she had no idea. "We should probably keep it down...He's so...I don't even know how to describe it..." Kelly let her words trail off with a sigh.

"He's a man full of guilt, Kel. It was his weekend with Emaley, she was under his protection and he lost her before we even left the house. He hasn't seen her since he picked her up after school that Friday. He ran off hoping to find Jenni, his ex, but in the midst of that, he lost his only kid.." Matt explained under his breath, desperately hoping Chase didn't catch a word he was saying.

Kelly furrowed her brows. "If Jenni was his ex, why did he want to find her so bad? Why not immediately go get your kid?"

Matt ducked his head again and licked his lips. "Don't breathe a word because Chase will actually kill me...but, he never got over Jenni. Even after a decade apart, he's never been able to accept that things were really over. So, when he heard that the dead were coming to life to eat the living, he ran straight to Jenni."

Kelly nodded as she absorbed the information. "That's honestly kinda sweet, but tragic. Like Romeo and Juliet or something."

Matt cocked his head and raised his brows.

"What?" She pressed when she noticed his reaction.

Matt scoffed and looked back at her. "Well, Jenni's married...Or, you know, was...If they're even alive still."

"She's alive, Matt. They both are...I know my girls..." Chase interrupted their hushed conversation without turning around or breaking his concentration on his trail.

Kelly blushed at their obvious mistake, but Matt shrugged it off. "We don't know that, Chase. We could be chasing a ghost for all we know."

At that, Chase stopped but didn't turn around. His shoulders tensed and he balled his fists, but he let out a deep breath and relaxed them. "She's out here. I know my kid. She's a survivor just like her mother...Too damn stubborn to quit..." Chase huffed a laugh as a million memories flooded through his mind.

"Well, we'll never know if we don't look, right? And we won't stop looking until we know. Right, Matt?" Kelly raised her voice and gave a pointed look at Matt.

Seeing the look in her eyes and knowing his little brother's fragile state of mind, he decided to let it go and nodded. "Yeah, I hope I'm pleasantly surprised."

Kelly shook her head but didn't push it. "Chase, I think we should stop for the night. I mean, it'll be dark soon and we won't be any good stumbling around. You need a good night's rest."

Chase finally turned around and Matt and Kelly could see the dark bags under his sunken, deep gray eyes. His hands shook and Kelly sighed. He hadn't eaten in days nor had he slept. He always refused to take a break and kept watch while she and Matt slept.

"I'll take watch tonight...We should probably scout around, see what we can find." Chase reluctantly agreed and shrugged his backpack off his shoulders. He already knew what was in it. A quarter package of crackers that he would insist on Matt and Kelly eating and a little bit of water in his canteen that he refused to touch unless he was desperate for a drink.

"Chase, you've taken watch three nights in a row now. Matt and I can do it. Or we can even take shifts if that sounds better to you." Kelly took a step towards him and nearly pleaded with a soft look in her eyes.

"We could do that, brother. You need to sleep...You'll be chasing your own shadow if you ain't careful," Matt chimed in and placed his hands on his hips.

Chase looked back and forth between the two of them. He could feel the exhaustion eating away at him, but he couldn't stop. What if Emaley was just ahead or stumbled upon their camp in the night? He couldn't afford to miss any opportunity.

"Nah...I'll stay here in and set up camp. Split up and look around?" Chase made his way towards Kelly who held their gear in her pack.

Kelly sighed defeatedly and shrugged the pack off her shoulder and handed it to him. "Fine. I'll go up near the road. Maybe find a barn or shed or something. Look for some downed branches by the road for a fire, too."

Chase just nodded and immediately turned to start setting up camp. Matt looked over at Kelly and held out his gun to her. "Take this with you?"

Kelly looked down at it and grinned. "And what? Ring the dinner bell on our asses? No, thanks. I got my trusty sidekick here with me," Kelly looked down and patted the knife at her hip and smiled.

Matt scoffed but returned his gun back to his holster. "Whatever you say, love. Just be careful. Holler if you need help, we'll come running."

Kelly winked at him. "Always."

"You know, I would love to keep that handful of berries we found the other day in my system...so the sooner you two leave the better my chances of not puking are." Chase looked between the two of them and interrupted their exchange with his sarcastic comment.

"Shut up, man! We were having a moment." Matt furrowed his brows and snapped his head towards his brother.

Kelly laughed at the smug, knowing look on Chase's face. It was rare to see him show anything other than a stoic sense of duty.

"I know, dude. That's what I'm afraid of. Y'all have way too many moments... " Chase arched a brow, silently dropping hints that he hoped his brother would easily pick up.

Matt furrowed his brows in confusion this time, then realization flashed across his features and he took a step toward him. "Did you...hear...?"

Chase dipped his head forward and raised his brows.

"You mean, you weren't asleep the other night?" Matt pressed, feeling a little more humiliated with every question.

"For the first time since this happened, I wish I was..." Chase had a horrified look in his face as he dug a hole into the ground for the fire they would build.

"On that note..." Kelly interrupted as she took in a loud, audible deep breath and took the bag Chase had previously been carrying, "I'm outta here. I'll be in hollering distance."

Kelly left the brothers behind and she started her trek into the woods. At first, when they started their desperate search for Emaley, she was terrified at the thought of being by herself in all of this. Now, almost half a year into the end of the world, she felt more confident. Matt helped her every step of the way, showed her and Chase how to properly shoot a gun, and taught her quite a thing or two about survival.

He had apparently been the "off-the-grid-survivor-fanatic" type before all of this and used his previously useless skill to his benefit. He had taught Emaley, his niece, the same thing, too. If she got the same lessons Kelly did, Kelly believed that she really stood a chance in all this. She wasn't so sure if Emaley was alive or not, and if she was still worth saving if she was alive, but she kept hope alive for Chase and even the cynical Matt.

She knew, deep down, Matt wanted to believe she was alive. He wanted to believe that, in some random chance of fate, they would cross her path and she'd just be waiting to run into their arms. Their family would be complete and they'd live the rest of their days fighting for each other. He was just scared to hope for the fear of being wrong.

As much as Matt insisted Chase was guilty, she knew Matt bore a lot of the same burden. Emaley and their little sister, Elizabeth, were in Matt's protection in the group they took shelter with. He left them there with the others and went in search of Chase. When Matt found Chase and Kelly back at Jenni's empty house, they came back to the camp to find it pillaged and empty. No Emaley. No Elizabeth. Except for the note she left telling Chase she and Emaley were alive. Chase still carried that note with him and read it every night like a bedtime story.

She knew a little about Matt and Chase's family history and the little she knew was enough to understand why it was even more important for them to find the girls. A deadbeat father that abandoned them, a strict, judgmental mother, and Emaley was their miracle child. Their rainbow baby after miscarrying the first. She was praised and spoiled in the Stewart family. Elizabeth was the baby of the family and just a few years older than Emaley. Matt and Chase fought like hell to keep them protected from their family's self-destruction and they were rewarded for it.

She may not have been able to relate, but she understood Chase's desire to see his daughter and little sister alive again. Kelly, though, feared what would welcome them if they found them. Two young girls, practically children, alone in a world so cruel and selfish? She remembered her co-worker, B.J., and how it took absolutely no time for him to completely lose his mind and his humanity. What about a child? They didn't stand a chance.

Faintly, Kelly could hear the sound of Chase tying up the string of metal cans and broken sheets of metal around the trees that they used as their security system at night. Chase had the revelation in the middle of the night weeks back and they awoke to their makeshift fence around their campsite.

She watched the ground around her for any wood that looked good enough to burn but found nothing but a bunch of little sticks. Hardly big enough to dig something out from under her nails. She didn't bother with them. Surely, there was something better near the road. Leftovers from sawn down tree branches that broke during storms and cluttered the road. That was where she had luck last time, at least.

As she walked and saw the road coming into view, she saw what appeared to be a little bait shop just off the road. It might have been a stretch, but it didn't hurt to check. Unsheathing her knife, she held it to her chest and picked up her pace into a steady jog. She hadn't seen any dead around in a while, but it also didn't hurt to be cautious.

Looking over her shoulder, she came to the door of the little shop and looked around. It didn't appear like anyone had been around in a while. The windows were lined with dust and grime and the paint on the sign had long faded. There was no telling how long this place had been abandoned, even before the world turned. Hopefully, a few squatters had left some surprises for her.

Tossing her long hair behind her shoulder, Kelly leaned against the old door and listened to it whine at her weight. Besides the creak of her steps, she didn't hear anything inside. Slowly wrapping her hand around the knob, she jiggled it and found it was unlocked.

Still no noise inside. Carefully, she turned the knob and yanked it open, knife at the ready. Leaning up against the doorframe, she surveyed the area and saw it was empty. The shelves were almost completely barren and it didn't look very promising, but she knew most things worth finding were hidden now.

Cringing at the creaks, she took a step inside and began to look through the shelves. They were covered in dust and it looked like it had been years since anything was displayed upon them. She hopped up to try and view the very top shelves but didn't find anything worth the trouble.

Two barrels were to her right. She pushed one and discovered it was too easy. It must've been empty. She almost pushed it back when she saw a small tin hiding in the crack in between the two barrels. She bent over and picked it up, dusting the dust off the label.

Sardines. 

Kelly wrinkled her nose at it but figured if she was hungry enough, it'd do just fine. Shrugging to herself, she reached back and tucked it into one of the opened pockets in her backpack and started to investigate the counter when she heard a thud from the little supply closet in the corner.

Kelly rolled her eyes. Of course, it waited to make its presence known until she was inside. Huffing a breath, Kelly made her way over to the closet and held her knife at the ready and her other hand grabbed the doorknob.

In one, quick swoop, Kelly yanked the door back and the dead tumbled towards her. She jumped back as it desperately gnashed its teeth at her and grabbed it by the neck with her available hand. These things used to terrify her, but she learned that she was a lot smarter than them. Once the fear subsided, killing them became a natural instinct; a muscle memory.

Kelly stabbed it in the head as she steadied herself and yanked it back out before it crumbled to the ground, taking her knife with it. She didn't bother to study it as she saw a shelf on the inside lined with canned goods.

"Oh, hell yeah, bait shop!" Kelly smiled and stepped over the undead corpse and snatched the bag off her back.

She didn't even look at the labels that displayed its contents. All she cared about was the fact that it was food and still preserved, unopened. They could make this last for quite a while with the way they rationed.

Once she had completely emptied the shelf into her bag, she zipped it up and slung it back onto her shoulders. To say she didn't feel completely confident in herself would be a lie. She almost wanted to turn back and rub it in the boys' faces now, but they still would need a fire after she was done gloating and Matt never looked hard enough for good firewood.

Kelly stepped back out of the closet and took a step towards the door when the sound of a car door closing froze her in place. They hadn't seen other people since they ran into that crazy group during the beginning. She had never encountered people without Matt by her side.

She gulped down her fear and took a shuddering breath. She could do this, she could do this...Forcing her legs to obey her, she hunched over and slowly made her way over to the window. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw and she wondered if Matt and Chase had heard the door closing as well and were already on their way.

A small caravan of two vehicles and a motorcycle were parked at the edge of the road and a few men crawled out to survey the area. The man on the motorcycle flung his crossbow around his shoulder and held it at the ready.

The crossbowman looked over at what Kelly assumed was their leader who screamed cowboy to her. They were uniformed, had a specific system planned out. She knew there must've been more of them to require two vehicles, but they hadn't stepped out yet. Maybe these two men were checking to make sure the coast was clear. If so, maybe they weren't so bad?

Kelly didn't plan to find out, though. She ducked down underneath the window when she saw the cowboy's head turn towards the bait shop. She couldn't make a noise. They couldn't know she was here. Maybe if she could make her way back to the closet...

She prayed the men hadn't already started their rounds as she slowly hobbled back over to the closet. If she was just quiet enough, maybe they wouldn't even think to check it. Unless they were just as desperate for supplies as she was...She couldn't think about that. She just had to hide first, then she could worry about the other stuff.

Kelly grabbed the door as she crawled through the threshold and closed it behind her. Darkness encompassed her as she heard something creak near the front door. She cursed inwardly when she remembered that she hadn't shut the door completely behind her. Maybe they would see how abandoned it was and wouldn't think much about it?

She took a few deep breaths as the men knocked on the side of the door a few times before entering when they got no response. Attracting noise to see if there was anything to attract, that was kind of smart. Now, she just had to be smarter and not attract any noise.

She held her breath as she heard their heavy steps across the old floor. She heard the barrel drag across the ground as they had the same idea. Kelly almost felt bad for taking the nasty can of sardines, but she figured, if roles were reversed, they probably wouldn't have left it, either. It was every man for himself out here.

They searched high and low for a few minutes and she heard a few aggravated groans as they came up empty-handed. Just when she thought they might be giving up, she heard a pair of feet shuffle in front of the door and stop. Kelly's heart raced as she remembered the dead one she had killed just moments ago.

Another pair of feet came towards the door and Kelly figured they must've exchanged something as she heard them shuffle closer in front of the door. That was the moment she knew that she was done for and closed her eyes shut, holding up her knife in front of her.

The door was thrown open and both men aimed their weapons at the ready. It was quiet for a second as Kelly let out the breath she was holding and panted where she sat. The two men exchanged a look and looked down at her.

"Drop it."

Kelly wasn't sure which one spoke, but she obeyed them. She was outnumbered, what else was she to do?

"Now...open your eyes."

Kelly gulped and complied. When she opened her eyes, she saw the crosshairs of both the crossbow and the Colt Python aimed down at her. She immediately threw her hands up in surrender and tucked her knees closer to her chest.

"The knife was all I had...Please, don't kill me."

The man with the Python narrowed his eyes at her and tightened his grip on the gun. "Don't give me a reason to, then."

Kelly felt her heart race again and nodded her understanding. "Look, it's just me out here. I haven't found anything for weeks and stumbled on this shop...I ain't looking for any trouble."

"You take out the dead one?" The man with the crossbow spoke up this time with his intense eyes staring down at her through the crosshair.

"Yeah, it was just the one. Holed up in this closet and then you showed up. I was scared and hid in the closet."

The men shared a look and the man with the Python nodded and the other lowered his crossbow slightly. "You sure you're alone?"

Kelly furrowed her brows and scoffed. "Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure. It's just been me and the dead since the beginning."

The man with the Python stepped back and the other followed his move. "C'mon, step out so we can talk."

Kelly hesitated and bit down on her lip.

"C'mon, lady...the man said move, now move!" The man with the crossbow growled and aimed back at her.

Kelly threw her hands up again. "Okay, okay..." She kept her hands up at her sides as she slowly lifted herself off the ground and gradually stepped outside and leaned up against the wall.

The man with the Python holstered his weapon and placed one hand on top of the gun and the other at his hip. "So, did you find anything in here?"

Kelly felt the fear return and she imagined all the things they would do if they knew what she found in the closet. People nowadays would do some pretty shady stuff for a can of cream corn. Instead, she grinned faintly and shrugged half-heartedly.

"I found a can of sardines."

The man with the Python chewed on the inside of his lip and narrowed his eyes as he thought over her answer. "Are you sure that's all?" He turned back and looked at the dead on the floor and looked back at her.

She gulped again. "I heard the dead one in the closet and he's all I found. When I heard you guys, I hid in the closet. I swear."

The man with the Python gave the one with the crossbow a look and he nodded, lowering his crossbow to his side. "What's your name?"

Kelly furrowed her brows at the question but answered him anyway. "Kelly...why?"

The man opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of multiple pairs of feet running outside and panicked voices.

The two men shared a look and bolted out the door, leaving Kelly behind. If she had been alone, she would've waited until they were good and distracted and made a beeline for the woods when their backs were turned. But she wasn't really alone and she knew Matt was hotheaded enough to start a war with these new survivors.

Kelly ran outside behind them as two other men ran from the road as Chase and Matt skidded to a halt outside the front door.

"Wait! Don't hurt them!" She cried and grabbed the man with the Python's arm.

The man with the crossbow yanked her away. "Step back!"

Kelly looked up at the man with the Python, ready to plead her case, but she was thrown off by the look on his face. He stood there, his gun down at his side, with a look of pure shock and recognition across his features.

She looked back at Chase and Matt and saw the same look on their faces.

"R...Rick?" Chase finally broke the tension as he questioned in complete disbelief.

Rick? Chase knew him?

"Chase...Matt...I thought you were both dead..." Rick answered a little breathlessly and holstered his weapon.

"What the hell's going on here, man!" One of the men -a stockily built man carrying a crowbar- exclaimed at the utter confusion shared amongst everyone but this Rick, Chase, and Matt.

Rick took a step forward and lifted a hand toward Chase. Chase smiled, the first time in weeks, and grabbed his hand as Rick pulled him in for a hug and clapped him on the back.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of another car door opening and smaller, faster feet making a beeline for the rest of the group.

Kelly looked up and saw a tall, lanky woman with long brown hair chase after a boy, no older than 13, in a wide-brimmed sheriff's hat down the ditch and towards Rick and company.

"Carl! Carl, wait for me, baby!"

The boy ignored who Kelly assumed was his mother and watched as she came to an astonishing stop as she saw who Rick and the others had run into.

"Chase? Oh my God, you're alive!" The woman cupped her mouth with her hand and made a steadier walk towards Chase, wrapping her arms around him in a friendly hug.

"Lori, it's good to see you," Chase greeted with a smile and a look of bittersweet pain crossed over his features.

Kelly took the time to notice that the woman appeared pregnant. She wasn't sure how long because her bump appeared to just start protruding, but it was obvious enough to make a difference.

The little boy came up to Chase and looked up at him from under his hat. "Where's Emaley? Do you have her? Do you know where she is?" He immediately interrogated, the hope painfully obvious in his voice.

The pieces started to fall together as she watched the exchange. Carl...She had heard that name before. In Matt and Chase's stories, Carl was Emaley's best friend since 2nd grade. The same boy Emaley had a secret crush on since 3rd grade. Rick and Lori, they must've been his parents. Then that meant that Lori was Jenni's, Chase's ex's, best friend.

Chase looked down at Carl and tried his best to give him an apologetic smile while also hiding his obvious hurt and tugged at his hat. "No...I don't know where she is. We...I lost her..." Chase paused as he looked up at Rick and Lori to further explain his story. "We were with a group, but I took off trying to find Jenni and I lost her. The last thing I have of her is a note from Elizabeth after their camp was raided saying that she and Emaley were still alive, they just escaped. I've been looking for her ever since."

Lori's hand went to her heart as she took in the news, reaching out and pulling Carl closer to her as he dipped his head. The look of hope was absolutely shattered, but the feeling was mutual amongst the group of friends.

Rick nodded his understanding and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he paused and looked back at his group, coming back to the present, "this is Daryl," he introduced pointing towards the man with the crossbow.

"Glenn, T-Dog," he listed off the two men that had come down to help when they saw Matt and Chase approach.

He nodded in the direction of the cars and continued, "the others are up there."

"Others? There's more of you?" Kelly asked in disbelief. It felt so strange to think that a group of their size could still be alive and keep their humanity.

Rick looked back at Kelly with a smirk. "You said you were alone?"

Kelly chuckled and nodded. "In my defense, I was outnumbered and I didn't know you were a blast from the past."

Rick grinned. "You were looking out for yourself, just like we were. No qualms here."

"Are you guys going to stay with us now? We have cars..." Carl suggested, looking up at his father pleadingly.

Rick looked down at Carl and trailed back to Chase. "It's up to you, man. Our man, Daryl, is a tracker. He could help you look. We've been looking for someplace safe and there's enough room to squeeze the three of you in somewhere."

Kelly smiled at the offer. People? Better yet, people that weren't clinically insane? She was sold. And Daryl could help Chase look for Emaley. Surely that had to bring some hope even to Matt.

She looked over at him and beamed. He didn't look so sold, but she didn't care. If Chase agreed, he was outnumbered. She was sure his uncertainty had to do a lot with the man he was before, but now was the time to change that. To show everyone he was different. Hell, everyone was different now. Nobody could judge anybody by who they used to be anymore.

Chase found her eye and she tried to resist nodding maniacally. This could be a new start for them. If nothing else, they at least didn't have to walk all the time anymore. Chase sighed, glanced back in the direction of their camp, and looked back at Rick.

"Maybe for a while...until we can come up with a better search plan..." Chase agreed and Kelly bit down on her lip to keep from squealing.

"We just, uh, need to gather our things. We had a camp out there when we heard the doors." Matt spoke up, not meeting Rick's eyes, and looked over at Chase.

Rick noticed Matt's unease and matched it. He just nodded and looked over at Chase. "We'll give you some time to get prepared. Gives me time to talk to my people. We don't usually take a chance with new people, but you're family...my family, Jenni or no Jenni."

Chase nodded his appreciation and waved Matt with him to go back to the camp. At that, Rick and Daryl turned around and looked back at her.

"Got any other tricks up your sleeve we should know about?" Daryl questioned with a smirk, slinging his crossbow onto his back.

"Well..." Kelly dragged out the word with a look and shimmied out of her backpack, zipping it open, and showing off the cans of food she found.

Rick just chuckled under his breath and Daryl blew air through his lips. "Yer just full of surprises, ain't ya?" Daryl said sarcastically in a thick, Southern drawl.

Kelly waggled her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "What can I say, I'm full of it."

Rick rolled his eyes and waved her towards him as the rest of the group headed back towards the car, their conversations hushed.

Kelly followed a step behind Rick and Daryl and, as she took a look over her shoulder back towards Matt and Chase, she smiled.

For the first time since Chase found her in that storage unit at the beginning, she felt hope.

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Jamie led her small group, gun at the ready in her capable hands, as they marched through the woods. It had been weeks since they found anywhere safe. They were holed up in an old hunting cabin for almost a month, but it wasn't long before they were overrun by the dead.

Caleb was a step behind her and he kept a hand on the knife at his hip, just like his mother taught him. He rarely had the chance to use it, but after their camp fell apart, Jenni made sure both of the kids knew how to take care of themselves at any time. Luckily, they hadn't had much chance to test their skills and Jenni was grateful for it.

Jenni trailed along at the caboose and carried the only bag they had left. There wasn't much in it and what was left, she rationed out to the kids in small amounts. Jamie typically protested at every meal until Jenni at least took two bites. It always managed to make her laugh at their switched roles. Back when things were normal, she had to come up with a convincing story or just straight-up threaten Caleb to take a bite. Now, Jamie doted on the pregnant lady and force-fed her at every meal.

Caleb looked back at his mother and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Mama, are we gonna find somewhere safe soon? I'm so tired..."

Jenni sped up to meet Caleb's small strides and took his little hand in hers. "I hope so, baby. I sure hope so."

Caleb looked like he wanted to ask more, but decided not to and just tightened his grip on his mother's hand instead.

Jenni wanted to tell him that everything would be fine. That they would find somewhere safe -maybe even people- and everything was going to be okay again, but she couldn't. She couldn't build that hope up again just to watch it crushed before his very eyes.

She thought back to the days before they found the group that took them in, back at the very beginning. She had saved Jamie and her little brother Billy from a herd of the dead and it was just her, Jamie, Billy, and Caleb. Caleb had asked about his father every night before bed and Jenni told him every night that he was alive. That he was just waiting somewhere and they'd all be reunited again. They'd be a family again because Jason, her husband, promised to never leave them.

She realized soon after that it was cruel to make promises in this world...She felt the pain trying to resurface and she shoved it back in its place. She couldn't afford to feel that right now. She had to find somewhere safe for the night. It would be getting dark soon and they had been wandering aimlessly since dawn.

Jenni reached up and played with the rings hanging from her neck. Daniel -her friend from the camp they lost- found her husband's wedding band and returned it to her when he came back from the run that killed her husband and the rest of their armed men. After the first month of wandering through the woods, Jenni had taken her wedding set off her finger and looped it around the chain she had found in one of the safe places they found.

She had no idea where her daughter was. Daniel had promised to start looking for her before those men they met on the road attacked them, then went back and destroyed their home. Before they killed Billy and left him to turn...Jenni blinked the tears away and shoved that memory away, too.

It was getting harder to remember anything without it being painful. She worried about her kids' memory banks. If it was progressively worsening for her, what chance did they have? What chance did her baby have?

As if on cue, Jenni groaned as she felt the little life begin to toss and turn and start to kick its little feet. She pressed her hand onto her swollen belly and took a deep breath as it settled.

"What's wrong? Are you okay, Mama? Is the baby coming?" Caleb panicked, tugging on his mother's hand as she waited out the movement. Jamie stopped as well and spun on her heel. She tried to hide the panicked look on her face, but Jenni saw right through it.

Jenni pulled her hand from Caleb's and waved their panic away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. The baby's just kicking is all."

Caleb's eyes practically sparkled and he excitedly threw his hands on his mother's round belly. "Can I feel it? Can I feel it?"

Jenni grinned and ran her fingers through his shaggy blonde curls. "Probably not for a few more weeks, baby. It's not quite big enough for you to feel, yet."

"Aww...I wanted to feel. I wish he'd hurry up and get big!" Caleb whined and wormed his hand back into Jenni's.

Jenni looked up at Jamie and they all three took off in another march. "You sound pretty confident it's a boy, Caleb."

"Well, duh. You and Chase had Emaley and she's a girl. You and Daddy had me and I'm a boy. So, you and Daddy are gonna have another boy, too!" Caleb rolled his eyes, clearly not understanding why his mother didn't find it so obvious as he did.

Jenni felt like someone punched her in the gut at the mention of Emaley and her husband, but she pushed through it. Luckily, Caleb didn't let her think of something as he continued on to his next thought.

"When he's born, can we name him Kyle?"

At that, Jamie looked back and arched a brow. "Isn't your last name Kyle?"

Caleb raised his brows at Jamie's obvious ignorance. "Uh, yeah. That's why I wanna name him Kyle! He can be named after me!"

"But wouldn't his last name be Kyle, too? Like your daddy's? Why would you want to name him Kyle Kyle?"

Caleb shook his head. "No, my last name is Kyle. His will be Caleb! Kyle Duane Caleb! I think it's perfect."

Jamie opened her mouth to argue again, but Jenni stopped her before she could say a word. "We'll see about Kyle, okay? It may come out a girl, you know."

"That'd be really lame..." Caleb muttered under his breath and kicked a rock in his way.

Jenni laughed and looked up at Jamie. "What about you, Jamie? If it's a girl, what would you want to name it?"

Jamie was quiet for a second as she stepped over a pile of leaves and kicked sticks out of her way. "I honestly don't care what its name is. I just wanna be somewhere when it's born..." Jamie let her words trail as she thought about the gravity of the possibility of being stuck in the woods when Jenni went into labor.

Caleb, on the other hand, as always, had plenty of thoughts on the matter. "What about Emaley? After Sissy! That's nice, right, Mama?"

Jenni felt her stomach do a flip at the mention of her eldest child. "But that's Sissy's name...It'd be kinda confusing whenever we find her, wouldn't it?"

Caleb was quiet as he thought about his mother's answer. He looked up at her with his big, blue, puppy-dog eyes. "But, Sissy's gone, Mama. I haven't seen her since she went to school. It's been forever since we saw her...What if a monster got her? Or those bad people that killed Danny? He was our friend..."

Jenni felt her heart shatter and she stopped and turned towards Caleb. Struggling to squat down, she looked Caleb in the eye and pushed the long curls out of his eye. "Oh, baby, I..."

She stopped when she heard a stick break in the background behind them. Jamie came over to Jenni's side to protect her, gun held high and ready to take down any Corpse that came out from behind a tree.

When she heard leaves rustle, she snatched the gun out of Jamie's hand, ignoring her protests, as a man revealed himself with hands raised high.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, lady!" The man warned with a jovial, smug look on his face, his words laced with a deep, Southern drawl.

Jenni stood up slowly, struggling not to appear weak in front of this stranger, and aimed the gun at his head. "What do you want?"

The man smiled a wide, shit-eating grin as he looked down at her expanding torso. "Holy shit! Would you look at that! You got a cozy little honey, darlin'? Because, unfortunately, I don't think I've known ya long enough to worry about it bein' mine..." He chuckled at his own joke and Jenni rolled her eyes at his crude remark.

"It's my husband's, he's dead, now what do you want before I decide to blow your head off right now," Jenni warned, looking down at the sight.

The man just crept nearer. As he approached, Jenni noticed he had some kind of...prosthetic or apparatus where his right hand should have been. It wasn't something designed for comfort, neither. It was designed for combat with a knife protruding from the end.

"Cool..." Caleb breathed out in awe as he saw the man's blade and Jenni shot a look at him.

The man grinned and looked down at the little boy at her hip. "Like it, cowboy? Pretty damn sweet, right?"

"Don't talk to him, you talk to me!" Jenni took a step towards him and Jamie grabbed Caleb and pulled them both behind her.

The man licked his top lip in she assumed was supposed to be seductively, but she wanted to vomit watching him. "It's okay, darlin', I like 'em with a little fight in 'em."

Jenni's breathing sped up and she reached up and held her gun with two hands to steady her aim. "This is your last chance and you better give me a good reason to not blow your head clean off your shoulders."

The man took another step closer and stopped, lowering his arms down by an inch. "I'm your knight in shinin' armor, babydoll. All y'all!"

"What are you talking about? We're doin' just fine on our own..."

The man looked back down at her belly and smirked. "What I'm talking about, sugar tits, it's a safe place for your baby...For all your kids..." he paused as he watched the kids exchange a look, "It's what you wanted right, little missy?"

"And why would we trust you? Some redneck asshole with a Messiah complex?"

The man laughed and clapped at her answer. "Oh, I'm gonna like you, darlin'. You'll fit right in..."

"Merle! Where the hell are you?" Another voice rang out, hollering for the man Jenni now knew to be Merle.

"Why should you trust me? Well, I don't know, but that's up to you. The Governor, on the other hand, he's real friendly and is better at these 'recruits' than I am. Real convincing, calm your pretty little head."

Jenni arched a brow. "The Governor? Seriously?" She smirked and lowered her gun so she could look over at him.

"So, whaddya say, sweet cheeks? Mosey on over here all close-like with your new friend Merle or keep on keepin' on with the twigs and berries?" Merle closed the distance between them as he approached, offering his good hand to her.

Caleb practically vibrated behind her as he tugged and yanked at his mother's shirt. "Mama! Please? I don't wanna live in the woods anymore..."

Jenni turned over to Jamie and arched a brow. "What about you?"

Jamie glanced over at Merle who did his best attempt at a friendly smile without looking like he was suggesting something else and looked up at Jenni. "I mean, if he's got a safe place for the baby, we should look into it. You're getting huge, Jenni, and I have no idea what I'm doing... "

Jenni grinned at her answer, but still sighed as she turned to Merle and felt sick to her stomach. "Show me this Governor and I'll consider your offer. My kids want to see."

Merle smiled that same shit-eating grin and waved his arm, gesturing behind him. "My pleasure, darlin'."

Jenni pulled the kids out in front of her and let them walk ahead of her as she made their way over to Merle. Caleb gave him a secretive thumbs up as he passed and Jamie pushed him ahead of her.

Merle's eyes never left Jenni's as she strode past him and she found those steel-blue eyes. "Just so you know, you lay a hand on me or call me sugar tits again, I'll castrate you with my bare hands, Merle." Jenni threatened, glancing down at what she knew was his favorite member.

Merle just burst into a deep, hearty laugh and walked alongside her, his long legs overtaking her strides. "Kinky, I like that..."

Jenni rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to puke again. She didn't know what lay ahead of her and what exactly this Governor had to offer her, but if it was a room far away from Merle, she'd take it in a heartbeat right about now.


	2. Chapter 1: The Start of Everything

"Look, man, I told y'all my allergies were shit that day!"

"And I say it's pretty damn convenient for your allergies to bother you in the middle of the summer."

Chase narrowed his eyes at Rick's pointed comment. "Ask Matt, I've always had issues with my allergies and I informed all y'all that day, but did anybody believe? No…"

Rick chuckled as he bent down to rummage through the rough-looking cupboard in the house they were searching. "Hey, man, if that's what you think-"

"No, man, it's what I know!" Chase stood up animatedly and peered at his old friend over the island in the kitchen.

Rick shook his head with a smile but closed the cupboard defeatedly. "Well, what I know is that it was the worst damn barbecue of my life."

Chase scoffed and bit back a smile. He didn't want to look like he was cracking. "You know, I told all y'all my nose was so stuffed up that I couldn't smell shit, but nobody seemed too concerned to inform me that that chicken smelled like my great aunt Roberta."

"Oh, God...it's the end of the world and I still have to listen to this shit…" Matt muttered under his breath as he entered through the back door and took a shortcut to the living room through the kitchen.

Rick laughed and looked over at Chase, hand on his Python at his hip. "You were well-informed when everyone puked their guts up at bedtime," Rick made his way over to the door Matt came through and whistled, signaling the others in, "And I still think it was premeditated since you had a burger waiting for you while the rest of us had to eat soured chicken."

"I had chicken my whole life growing up and I still hate that shit. It was every man for himself at family barbecues."

Carl strolled through from the utility room across the way and plopped a couple of double A batteries into his father's hand for him to examine. "I remember that day. Emaley and puked, like, so much because we ate all the Rice Krispie treats Jenni bought from the store because she overslept and didn't make anything like she promised. Everybody else was puking from the chicken and we got away with it."

Chase smiled at the memory even if it wasn't so fond to remember exactly. It was his weekend and he had to pull over every ten minutes on the way home because she was so sick and the car ride made it worse. She was so young then...

Rick and Chase's argument came to a standstill as some of the others started to make their way through. Beth came in first and stood at the threshold, waiting for Lori who was a step behind her. "I had never puked so much in my life and that's coming from a pregnant lady." Lori teased, one arm cradled around her ever-expanding belly. She was only a month away now before they had to worry about the baby coming.

Chase smiled as she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as she waddled by him. Rick tensed at the presence of his wife and the mention of her pregnancy. Chase's smile wavered and he knew the walk down memory lane was going to be a short one today.

It had been about three or four months since Rick and his group ran into Chase and things hadn't changed. Matter of fact, they had declined rapidly since then. Rick was driven in a reckless, desperate pursuit to find somewhere safe to call home for Lori as the day she would give birth came closer and closer.

Daryl had done his best to try and track down Emaley, but even the master tracker was finding it difficult to pinpoint any location. At this point, Chase was too scared to try again and feared that Matt had been right this whole time. Perhaps it was a lost cause. Perhaps he had them running in circles after a ghost.

Kelly was happy. She made Matt happy, as well. It was the only good thing Chase could find in this new world. His brother really stepped up when the world turned and Kelly encouraged the change. He knew he was plagued with many regrets that he refused to talk about, but Matt was doing his best to change his present for the sake of his brother and his fallen family members.

Beth joined Maggie and Glenn in the living room as Hershel came through the back door. Chase watched the sisters with a fond smile. He found himself seeing so much of Emaley in Hershel's youngest daughter. They may not have had any physical similarities besides the blonde hair, but when she nestled that blonde head onto her father's shoulder and looked up at him with big, hopeful eyes, he saw his Emaley.

He remembered the nights he would come in when she was having nightmares and he would have to wrap her up tight in her blankets and talk to her until she felt safe enough to fall asleep again. The little blonde curls that have since fallen out were spread out around her on the pillow like a halo. His little angel.

Hershel came to his side and placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder, bringing Chase back down to reality. "There's something about daughters, isn't there? Heaven's gift to remind you of the beauty in the world, no matter how ugly it gets."

Chase grinned and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they are...Were…"

Hershel searched him over with those wise eyes that knew everything he was thinking before Chase even knew it and tightened his grip on his shoulder. "When we found you, you knew your daughter was out there waiting for you. Her mother, too. What changed?"

Chase scoffed humorlessly and turned from the girls and faced Hershel. "What chance do we have if Daryl can't figure out where she could be?"

Hershel took a deep breath and crossed his arms tight against his chest. "One night, you told us a story about the time Emaley took off the first weekend you had her. You were in an absolute panic overnight until you had a knock at your door at 3:30 in the morning. One of your neighbors had found her asleep in their lawn chair. When you asked her why she ran off, what did she say?"

Chase knitted his brows together, not quite sure where Hershel was going with this story but answered him anyway. "She said she was scared because Mommy wasn't there and she went to find her."

Hershel gave him a knowing eye and smiled kindly. "Your little girl sounds like she has an awfully big heart and is too smart for her own good. You're looking for a scared little girl that's hiding in place, but sounds like to me your girl is too brave to just sit and wait for help. She takes matters into her own hands."

Chase couldn't hold back the way his heart swelled with pride at Hershel's words, but he was still confused. "Thank you, Hershel, but what's your point?"

He just reached up and patted his shoulder again with a chuckle. "My point, Chase, is maybe you're looking at it from the wrong angle. If Emaley is out there alone, she's not going to just lay down and quit and hope her daddy shows up to save her. She's going to dust herself off, get back up again, and keep on trucking until she finds her family again. Wherever she finds her mother, Emaley won't be very far behind."

He didn't give Chase the chance to respond as he joined his daughters in the living room and catered to a very exhausted Lori. He understood Hershel's sentiment and knew there was years worth of wisdom and experience behind it, but he wasn't sure if his heart could handle that much hope again. Hoping to find Jenni and Emaley? It almost drove him to insanity last time.

Daryl sauntered over, crossbow held high at his side and nodded at Chase. "C'mon, let's go see what we can find out there."

Chase just nodded and took the rifle handed to him. This place seemed good enough for the next few days, at least, and they were running pitifully low on food. Matt helped hunt last time and it was his turn.

For now, he pushed Hershel's comments out of his head and joined Daryl outside. They had more important things to worry about instead of the philosophical debate going on in his head. He'd have plenty of time for that during the night like he always did.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"She's got a smile that it seems to me_

_Reminds me of childhood memories_

_Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky_

_Now and then when I see her face_

_She takes me away to that special place_

_And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry…"_

_Jenni listened to her father drunkenly sing in the other room and jumped at the sound of broken glass as he tossed his empty liquor bottles across the room. He had been that way ever since they came home from the funeral home and found the note left by her mother on the welcome mat._

_Jenni remembered the song. Her mother used to sing it to her and her sister every night before things got bad. Her twin sister had been in bad health for the last six months of her life and her poor heart couldn't take it any longer. Their mother's, on the other hand, gave up long before the little five-year-old's did._

_Her mother used to sing beautifully and had even dreamed of becoming a famous singer once, but when she got news of her young daughter's heart condition, it seemed the song was ripped out of her and she desperately tried to find a way to fill that void. It started off with other men than their father but spiraled out of control when those men introduced other gateways into her life._

_Jenni remembered many times finding her mother passed out on the couch, half-dressed, and dried vomit on her chin. If her father was home, he'd be asleep on the porch swing outside cradling a half-empty beer bottle after he had downed the whiskey and thrown it on the floor._

_Now, her mother was gone after her twin sister's death and her father blasted every 80's ballad that she used to sing both to him and their daughters._

_"You fuckin' bitch! You took everythin' from me! I hope yer happy with that limp dick! Fuckin' whore…" Her father screamed at the top of his lungs, taking the family picture off the wall and smashing it under his boot._

_Jenni cupped her hands over her ears and tried to drown out her father's drunken rant. All of her sister's stuff was still in their room and it was hard to look at, but any time she stepped out of her room, her father would scream at her until she cowered in fear. He'd then grab her arm and sling her back into the room, threatening to do worse if he saw her face again._

_She looked down at the pattern on her arm and sniffled at the bruises forming there. There was a time when her daddy was nice and tucked her in every night, but that man had died a long time ago. After their mother's first affair…_

_Jenni tucked herself into a ball and cradled her knees closer to her chest. She prayed he would stop, but he only seemed to get louder and angrier. Sobs wracked her little body and she buried her face into her knees, encasing herself in darkness._

_"Aw, c'mon, sugar tits...ya ain't got it that bad no more…"_

_Jenni looked up and immediately noticed her much longer legs. The memory had faded away and she sat on the floor of her apartment at Woodbury...and Merle stood before her. That same, old smug grin plastered on his face and he flipped through the journal she kept on her nightstand._

_Jenni wiped the tears from her face, embarrassed to have been caught in such a vulnerable state. "W-What...What are you doing here, Merle? I didn't let you in."_

_Merle looked up from the journal, those eyes of steel peering through her, and tossed the journal onto her bed. "Oh, darlin', you know you like me here more than you let on…" He grinned and led himself over to the little bassinet on the other side of her bed where her newborn slept._

_Jenni remembered that her legs worked and found the strength to spring herself up from them and fling herself in between Merle and the bassinet. "What do you want, Merle? Haven't I done enough?"_

_Merle chuckled and stepped around her, resting his unequipped stump on the edge of the bassinet, peering in at the tiny bundle. "You know there ain't never enough 'round here, darlin'. Governor always has more to push you…" He stopped as the baby began to fuss._

_Jenni jumped to rush to her baby's aide, but Merle beat her to it. Looping his good arm around the back of the baby's head, he brought up the bundle to his chest and tucked the baby into the nook of his elbow. Her tiny child made Merle look even broader in comparison and Jenni felt surprisingly calm as she looked upon the two._

_"'Sides, darlin'. You know it's all gonna catch up to us sooner or later...I mean, hell, look at you…" He let his words trail off as he tore his eyes away from the baby he affectionately carried and looked over at its mother._

_Jenni furrowed her brows and waited for him to continue, but nothing else came. "What have you been smoking, Merle?"_

_"Oh, don't you worry yer pretty, little head, little sister. I'm as sober as can be," he chuckled and took a step closer to her, carefully switching which arm the baby laid in and brought his good hand to cup her cheek, "You on the other hand...Hell, you got a helluva lot more to worry about than a sketchy Governor…"_

_Jenni opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped when Merle's eyes left hers and wandered down to her belly. She almost had the nerve to rip her baby out of his arms with the way he intensely looked her over, but everything else vanished from her mind when she saw what Merle was fascinated with. ___

____

_Bloodstained her legs and the skirt of her cotton t-shirt dress. It poured from her abdomen like someone had sliced her open while she was distracted just above her pubic bone. It dawned on her where exactly the blood was pouring from and she stumbled back in horror._

____

_Above her, Merle loomed with a sadistic chuckle, the baby still in his arms, and he brushed the stray hairs back when she fell back on the floor, blood puddling around her. "You got a cursed womb, little sister...Just you watch, every kid that comes outta you is damned near cursed…" he paused as he looked down at the baby in his arms, "hell, even this one ain't got a fightin' chance with a mother like you."_

____

____

Jenni awoke in a cold sweat and sprung up in bed, yanking the comforter away that clung to her sweaty body. Her chest heaved as she breathed deeply, in and out, and frantically searched for the blood pouring from her body. She was met with nothing but clean sheets.

____

Jenni groaned her relief and hung her head as she tried to gather her thoughts. She found herself reminiscing many times since the world changed, but she had never experienced anything like that. Especially with Merle as her co-star. She shivered at the thought of Merle making more cameos in her dream and pulled her sweaty hair back away from her face.

____

Hearing the sound of laughing children and chirping birds, she looked over at the watch on her nightstand and checked the time. She sighed when she saw it was almost 10:00. The kids had been up and out of the apartment for hours now because of school and chores. She was surprised no one had come to investigate her whereabouts. Then again, everyone seemed to be cutting her a lot of slack since she gave birth about a week ago.

____

At the mention of her child, she peeled herself out of her sheets and crawled over to the other side of her bed and peeked into the bassinet. She smiled at the little bundle who slept peacefully. She had awoken a couple of hours ago with a wet diaper and empty tummy but was completely content when Jenni had catered to both needs and put her back to bed. Jenni had also put herself back to bed even though she had the intention of getting ready for the day then.

____

The little bear in the corner of the bassinet caught her eye and she chuckled when she saw the pretty, pink bow sewed onto the bear's left ear. One older lady had dropped it off a few days after the baby was born and said it was from the people of Woodbury, congratulating her on her new baby girl.

____

Even though her newborn daughter was too young to really appreciate it, she seemed to sleep better when it was near her. Jenni had gone around town the next day thanking people for the gift, but nobody seemed to know what she was talking about. When she asked the seamstress about it, she admitted this time that it was from an anonymous source that wanted "the kid to have something pretty in a shitty world" when they found out her baby was a girl.

____

Jenni smiled at the memory and trailed a finger down her daughter's plump cheek. All the fear she had throughout her entire pregnancy had faded away when she heard her squalling loud and clear. When Woodbury's doctor placed her on her chest, her whole world felt complete but bittersweet. The baby girl Jason had always wanted, but he wasn't able to see her and hold her in his arms.

____

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the necklace that held hers and her husband's wedding rings, crawled out of bed, walked over, and looped it around her neck. She fondly traced the engraving on Jason's ring with her fingernail as she thought about where she was.

____

When Merle found them in the woods, she wasn't sure if there was really any place safe anymore, but her kids wanted it so bad. When she first met the Governor and the charisma he oozed, she felt unsettled, but Merle convinced her to step into the truck and join the kids already seated inside.

____

Even now, at times, Jenni wasn't sure how "at home" she felt in their new home, but it was really safe and kept her kids fed, protected, and even brought the kid out in Jamie again. For her, that was enough. They even delivered her baby safely into the world without all the modern medicine from before. For now, it was good.

____

She hadn't given up on Emaley, though. Now that her daughter was born and their new home proved itself capable of sustaining, Jenni was determined to search down her missing child. They were just a few months shy of a whole year, but she couldn't give up. Not until she knew.

____

As if on cue, a loud banging on the door forced her back to Earth and she jumped at the intrusion. She figured it was her new friend, Karen, coming to drag her out of bed if she slept any longer. She laughed at the thought and strolled over to the door.

____

Pulling out the lock and swinging the door open, Jenni's smile fell and her eyes habitually rolled.

____

"Well, well, well, good mornin', sleeping beauty!" Merle greeted and leaned against the doorframe, running his eyes up and down her body.

____

Jenni just blinked. "It was a good morning, Merle, until you showed up."

____

He just chuckled at her attempt of offending him and he leaned closer to her. "Governor's getting worried about ya and I told him I'd come and make sure you hadn't died in yer sleep," he paused as he looked down at her pajamas, "but obviously I caught ya in the middle of a dream. Was it about me? Don't be shy and don't skimp out on the naughty bits."

____

Jenni ignored his wandering eyes and shook her head. "I'd rather french kiss a biter, Merle."

____

Merle cackled and looked a bit more pointedly at her attire. "Well, as much as I'm enjoying the sights, you might wanna put something a little more "biter-friendly" if yer goin' out with me today."

____

Jenni furrowed her brows and looked down at her pajamas, completely forgetting what she had worn to bed last night. She was braless in a baggy t-shirt and it looked like she had nothing else on as the cheeky, cotton shorts she wore underneath her sleep shirt didn't leave much to the imagination.

____

Her cheeks burned bright with embarrassment as she slowly met Merle's eyes again. He reveled in her humiliation and laughed hard and long when she slammed the door in his face and turned away from the door as if he would still be able to see through it.

____

Her daughter started screeching at the shock and Jenni cursed under her breath.

____

Merle still stood outside her door, waiting patiently on her, and rapped his knuckles on the wall to the tune of a song she didn't recognize. "Sounds like Lia is pretty hungry, little sister!"

____

Jenni rolled her eyes as she made her way over to her daughter. "Her name is Amelia! After Jason's grandma like he always wanted! Not Lia, Amelia!"

____

Merle chuckled. "Whatever, darlin'. Lia is easier to get out when yer hollerin' for somewhere to cover yer ass!"

____

Jenni drowned his comments out as she scooped her wriggling daughter into her arms and bounced her gently. Pale, blonde curls were glued to her head and her little fists swung as she let out a shrill scream. She reminded her so much of Caleb when he was a baby. They both looked so much like their father…

____

Merle was quiet as Amelia nestled and nudged her little face into her mother's chest, desperately searching for her source of food. Jenni groaned when she realized Merle was right. How he was able to know about her daughter's warning signs, she had no idea, but it was annoying.

____

Merle pressed his ear against the door when he heard silence and the faint sound of sucking. "Told ya she was hungry…"

____

Jenni sat on the floor of her apartment, Amelia resting in the bend of her arm as she ate, and Jenni grabbed one of Caleb's shoes he had kicked off the night before and chucked it at the door.

____

Merle jumped back at the loud thud against the door and laughed. "Okay, darlin'. Meet me at the gate in 30. I'll let 'em know the usual."

____

Jenni just rolled her eyes as she heard Merle's heavy boots fade away down the hallway. After hearing stories about Merle, she asked him about his tracking skills she'd heard so much about and he confirmed them all. She had begged him for weeks after to take her outside the walls and show her how to track, but he refused. He had a new excuse every time, but the majority of them had to do with her pregnancy.

____

She had worn him down after a few weeks of persistent begging and he finally agreed to take her out, as long as he called the shots and she stayed close the whole time. She happily agreed and it wasn't until they were already outside the walls did she explain her real reasoning to get out.

____

She wanted to find her daughter and she wanted him to show her how. He almost dragged her back to Woodbury at her confession, but for some reason, Merle continued as she mentioned how her daughter was with her father when this all started. She explained the scared voicemail Emaley had left on her phone and where she said where they were headed. It was the last time she ever heard from her daughter after that.

____

So, at least two times a week, Merle took her outside the walls and gave her extensive survival lessons, because he claimed the know-how of keeping herself alive was more important first. She disagreed but complied anyway.

____

Their lessons and searches grew to a gradual stop as her pregnancy progressed and Merle didn't want to risk having to deal with her if she went into labor in the middle of nowhere. After she got the go-ahead from Woodbury's doctor, she planned on getting out there as soon as she could. After all, Merle was finally starting to show her how to track when he made them stop.

____

The Governor, of course, wasn't fond of the idea of looking for her daughter, but Merle always covered for her. She was sure he gave people the impression that they slipped off into the woods to have some kinky, passionate affair and most of the town easily accepted it no matter how much Jenni physically cringed at the insinuation. As long as the rumors didn't hit her children's ears and the ones she cared about didn't believe it, that was all that mattered to her. It wasn't the first time someone followed her with lewd eyes, hoping to find evidence of their romp somewhere on her person or her supposed partner's.

____

Jenni sat and watched her daughter hungrily suck away and hissed a few times in pain when her little gums yanked on her nipple. It had been years since she had to breastfeed and even then none of her other babies seemed to do very well with it. Amelia, on the other hand, practically lived on the boob.

____

Switching over to her other breast in hopes of finding some relief before leaving, Jenni let out a breath and wondered what Merle had in store for her today. The last time they were out, he mentioned his brother and the group they used to roll with. She normally didn't pay much attention to Merle's stories, especially about his brother, but this one was a little different.

____

She had asked him how he got to Woodbury and if he knew anybody from before, but his answer surprised her. He was with another group in Atlanta and they left him handcuffed to a roof. Forced to cut off his own hand, Merle stumbled around for a good long while thinking the only way he'd find his brother again was after a nice, long dirt nap.

____

The way he spoke about his brother -his baby brother, he often noted- was the same way she spoke about her daughter. Love and fear were buried deep down, but regret spoke stronger whether they meant to or not. They were both careless and lost the only thing that mattered to them. Jenni, of course, never brought her thoughts to Merle because she knew he'd immediately laugh at her sincerity and call her the first crude thing that came to mind. He didn't scare her, though. She grew up with many men like Merle, or even worse, in the house with her father. Merle's bark was worse than his bite and must've hidden a lot of internal pain. The men her father hung around were the opposite. They were the ones that scared her.

____

Before she knew it, Amelia had fallen fast asleep in her mother's arms and Jenni knew it was time to go. Karen agreed to watch her for the day, along with her two older children, and she only had ten minutes left now. Amelia was hungrier than she thought she would be.

____

Placing Amelia back in the bassinet, for now, Jenni rushed around the room and threw on whatever was clean. She didn't care too much of her appearance around Merle. She usually ended up covered in biter guts anyway since he seemed to revel in killing them in the most gruesome way imaginable. She rolled her eyes at the memory.

____

Changing Amelia quickly into a little romper that was still a little big for her, Jenni tucked her into her arm and made her way to the door. After being cooped up behind the walls for over a month, Jenni was itching to get back to the woods and start her search for the first time.

____

Emaley was out there and she refused to give up on her. She had the time, protection, and resources now. Nothing could get in her way now.

____


	3. Chapter 2: Stranger Things Have Happened

It had been about two weeks since Jenni was cleared to go out again and two weeks since Merle started teaching her how to track. Today, Merle was testing her skills. She didn't know what he'd make her track, but he said it was coming and he was going to take her far into the woods to start. She made a joke about luring her out in the woods to cut her up into a million little pieces, but he just gave her a look and she remained quiet since then.

Jenni played with the rings around her neck, her fingernail tracing the engraving on her late husband's band. She thought about him a lot since Amelia made her debut. He had wanted a little girl so bad and he believed with all his heart that their new baby was going to be the one that changed everything. She was a symbol of hope. Hope for a future, hope for life, hope that maybe things wouldn't always be shit.

She wanted to believe the same thing, but she wasn't sure if she could afford to hope so recklessly. Right now, she couldn't think about the future. The present and keeping her children alive today was more important. They've only been at Woodbury for almost four months. She wanted to believe that this was the place her children would live long, happy lives and grow old in, but she knew better than to hope that much. Sometimes, hope could be dangerous.

Jenni looked up and watched Merle march confidently in front of her. Jenni always thought Merle looked like he was in his element every time they left the safety of their walls. He was an outdoorsman through and through. Of course, he was always more than ready to call it a day and head home, but a part of her suspected that he only agreed to train her to get himself out in the woods without the Governor keeping him on his leash.

She eyed the gun on his right hip and his knife on the left. He equipped the bayonet at the end of his prosthetic and he seemed ready to take on the world. That same, unbuttoned tan shirt hung limply around his lean, muscular frame and he just embodied the perfect soldier.

Merle reminded her of a lot of the men her father hung around as far as how he carried himself. She knew he was a man with many addictions, but she sensed many demons and regret being drowned out by them, as well. He was an asshole, for sure, and it was a unanimous thought by all of Woodbury and, well, anyone who met him. Jenni had called him that herself many times since meeting him and she'd never falsely accuse Merle of being anything but inappropriate and unpleasant, but there was something about him that drew her to him.

She knew it had to do with the teddy bear her infant daughter seemed so drawn to. She had asked Merle -after interrogating every other resident in town- about the darling gift and that faint spark of recognition in his eyes was impossible to glance over. Of course, he denied having anything to do with it, but he was the only she talked to that even knew what she was talking about. She never told Merle that, but smiled to herself at the obviousness.

Jenni took a deep breath and listened to the sound of the world around them. Cicadas screeched their shrill song and she could hear the sound of tiny feet scurrying away in the distance. She was never much of an outdoor person, but Emaley loved it more than anything, so she spent a lot of time outside to allow her oldest child the freedom to run, frolic, and play all day long. She smiled at the memories of laying out in the sun, a glass of sweet tea in one hand while looking out at her young daughter climb trees like a monkey and make mud pies after a nice Georgia rain.

"Did you and your brother spend a lot of time outside? Is that why you're so good out here?" Jenni broke the silence between them and sped up her pace to walk just a step behind him.

Merle was silent for a second as those piercing eyes looked at her from the corner of his eye and his mouth set in a hard line. "We're out here to train, little sister. Nothin' more."

Jenni noticed the muscles in his jaw lock at the same time his shoulders tensed. "I just thought it might be a little nice to talk...about before, y'know? Memories of how things were is what keeps me going."

"And forgetting works just peachy for me, darlin'. So does the quiet." He retorted pointedly and stared ahead of him.

Jenni's shoulders sank in defeat and she huffed a breath. "I get it. There's things about before that I like to forget, too." Jenni remembered the dream she had two weeks ago and the memory of her father destroying their home in a drunken rage after the death of her twin sister and the abandonment of her mother.

Merle stopped abruptly and turned on his heel, squaring his shoulders as he loomed over her and curled his lip, desperately trying to bite back what he really wanted to say. "I ain't here to sit and talk about your mommy and daddy issues, sugar tits," he smiled at the look of offense sparkling in her eyes and watched her swollen breasts rise and fall as her breathing picked up in her anger, "unless yer feelin' all vulnerable and need ole Merle to make ya feel real good…"

Merle reached up and pushed the stray hair in her eyes back behind her ear and Jenni rolled her eyes, batting his hand away. "Ugh, nevermind, Merle."

His eyes glimmered at her obvious annoyance, clearly reigning victorious in this "heart-to-heart," and cocked his head at her. "Aw, c'mon, darlin'. Ya ain't tellin' me ya ain't a lil' tempted now? I mean, I thought we were havin' a moment just now."

Jenni cocked a brow at him and crossed her arms tight against her chest. "And why would I ever stoop so low as to sleep with a Dixon?" She spat the name out as if it was taboo and smirked when she saw him lift his chin and narrow his eyes at her.

"Ya ain't nothin' but a goddamn cock tease, ya know that?" Jenni couldn't help but laugh at his remark and rolled her eyes as he continued, "Ya remind me of my baby brother, sugar tits." He remarked as he took off again, not bothering to wait for her to react.

Jenni smiled again, a wide smile that brought a spark of life to her dark brown eyes and crinkled the corner of her eyes, and jogged to keep up with his long-legged pace. "Baby Brother's a goddamn cock tease, too?"

If looks could kill, Jenni would have dropped dead. He looked over and glared down at her as they walked, but Jenni noted how obviously flustered he was since he couldn't focus on anything, his hard-as-steel eyes desperately searched for something to drag him out of this conversation. "Shut yer damn mouth, little sister! That ain't what I meant."

At that, Jenni couldn't bite back the laughter that exploded out of her. She stumbled slightly as she threw her head back at the same time he took his good arm and shoved her away from him. "Let's just go back to not talkin'."

Jenni wasn't okay with that, though, but decided to have a little mercy on him. "C'mon, tell me about your brother! Please? I'll be your best friend…" Jenni bit the corner of her lip and smiled, trying her best to give him a flirty look without cracking, hoping that'd get what she wanted out of him.

"After all yer shit? Nah." Merle bit out dismissively, looking at his feet while he kicked a chunk of a fallen tree branch out of his way.

Jenni nodded once and arched a brow. "Well...we _could_ talk about the bear..." She prodded, looking around at him as she bit her lip again.

Merle scoffed and glared at her. She knew how much he hated it when she brought up the bear and he avoided it like the plague, denying its existence. "What do ya wanna know about my baby brother?"

Jenni clapped childishly in victory and tucked her hair behind her ear as she thought about exactly what she wanted to ask him. "What was he like? Or, I guess I really mean, was he like you? I had a sister -twin actually- and we were like night and day…" Jenni let her question trail before she got to thinking or talking too much.

Merle didn't look at her as he answered, but she saw his shoulders tense again as he walked. "My baby brother was the sweet one, too soft for the world...before and after. Sunovabitch needed someone like me to keep 'im straight...keep 'im alive…"

Jenni looked up at him with her prodding, dark eyes and looked for any sign of him continuing. When he said nothing else, she just accepted his answer and thought it over. She barely knew the man Merle spoke about, didn't know his name, but she felt like the little bit of information he gave her spoke volumes.

Jenni chuckled humorlessly and bit the corner of her lip. "Sounds like the opposite of you...must mean he's a pretty good guy," she mused, hoping to rile him up, but he just stared ahead in contemplative silence.

"Was, darlin'. He ain't got me no more...so it's was."

Jenni rolled her eyes and rested one hand on the gun at her hip. "You know, this world changes people...Makes people step up...It can change people for the good. Your brother...I think he's out there because you showed him how to survive."

Merle stopped again, but this time he balled his fists and looked at Jenni over his shoulder, turning at the waist to glare at her better. "That group...the one my brother n' I were with...We were gonna rob 'em blind, sugar tits. S'what we planned from the start. An' that's just who we are…" Merle paused to completely turn to face Jenni and lunged at her, jabbing a finger into her collarbone with a snarl, "Ya know, maybe if ya'd been this nosey about yer own family, Jamie's brother wouldn't'a died...Maybe that baby o' yours wouldn't be growin' up without her daddy...but no...ya'd rather have yer nose so far up my shit than to pay any attention to yer own!"

Jenni cursed the tears she felt welling up at Merle's cruel words and she felt the anger and hurt boil in her stomach as his fiery blue eyes peered down at her, ready to strike at any given moment.

"If ya'd cared this much about Emaley, maybe ya'd actually have her instead of circling the woods for some dead girl-"

Hearing Emaley's name leave his lips, Jenni released the red-hot fury building in the pit of her stomach and slapped Merle across the face as hard as she could.

The piercing _slap_ echoed in the quiet woods around them and Merle barely reacted besides grinning devilishly at her and rubbed his fingertips over the red mark already appearing on his cheek. "Yeah, yer just like my baby brother."

Jenni's brows furrowed low and she resisted the urge to slap him again and again and again until that stupid grin was smeared clean off his face, but she knew he had the advantage. Those broad shoulders and toned arms screamed a reminder of how much stronger he was than her. Any fight she'd pick with him would be immediately lost.

"Eat shit and choke on it, asshole." Jenni ended her remark by spitting on the ground by his shoes and spun around on her heel, stomping back the way they came.

Merle just chuckled and rubbed his cheek as he watched her storm away. "And where do ya think yer goin', babygirl?"

Jenni shivered at the pet name but didn't turn to face him as she kept on her way. "Back home. I ain't staying out here with you for another second."

Merle just chuckled again and shook his head. He watched her leave, plastering his well-worn, smug look on his face, and ignored the heavy feeling pushing on his chest when he heard her sniffle and watched her wipe her face with the back of her hand.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chase sat in the circle with the others in the house T-Dog had spotted and looked at the exhausted, defeated faces around him. Weeks passed by and they still hadn't found anywhere for Lori who could give birth any time now. Rick was getting desperate and the seriousness of her condition was wearing down on everyone now.

Matt sat across from him, Kelly pressed tight against his side, and he pushed the thin chunk of beef jerky into her hand after she refused three times before that. It had been a while since either of the Stewart brothers had seen Kelly or any of the others smile. Chase kept his stories and trips down memory lane to himself now.

The only sound in the deteriorating house was the sound of Carl's can opener as he peeled back the canned dog food he found and the sound of Daryl aggressively plucking the owl he had found and killed, focusing on his task at hand.

He caught Lori's eyes as she sadly watched her son desperately open the can of dog food and he was sure the same thought was going through their heads as Chase tore his eyes away and stared down at the ground. They weren't that desperate yet, but Carl was trying. Trying to help, trying to show his dad that he was capable just like the rest.

Rick sauntered over and ripped the can out of Carl's hands before he got the chance to get it all the way opened and chucked it into the empty fireplace after inspecting it. Chase and a few others jumped at the loud intrusion and watched as Carl hung his head in complete embarrassment and defeat.

He wanted to crawl over, tell him it was alright, but he also couldn't think of a word to say to him. He wasn't the little boy Emaley spent every weekend with anymore. He was growing into a young man, reared up by the dead and decay of the world. If he couldn't figure it out for himself, how could he make it easier for a boy the same age as his daughter?

Their moment of rest was cut short by T-Dog's whistle and it was back to their regularly scheduled program. Chase sighed as he jumped up, threw his bag over his shoulder, and joined the others as they rushed out the door towards the vehicles. Before stepping outside, Chase reached back and pulled Kelly by the arm in front of him and Matt followed. Besides Rick and his family, Matt and Kelly were the only family he had left. He had to know and see that they were okay at all costs.

Kelly ripped her knife out and stabbed it into the head of a walker that popped up around the corner and made a beeline for the nearest vehicle, holding Matt by the hand in a vice-like grip. Chase hesitated for a minute as he watched Lori and Carl make their way over to the vehicle Carol had climbed into and held the door open for them.

Knowing they were okay, Chase followed his brother and his girlfriend into the car they were in and slammed the door shut behind him, their driver immediately taking off.

It had been this way for weeks. At the start, they were able to find somewhere decent enough to stay for a few days, but those chances were getting slimmer by the day. Walkers seem to multiply at a rapid rate. Small towns and back roads were getting as dangerous as the cities. They had to find somewhere, anywhere, good enough soon. Chase wasn't sure how much longer any of them could really take out here.

He looked over at Matt and Kelly who sat huddled together in silence. As much as his heart ached at the sight of his brother with someone, he was happy. As shitty as the world was for everyone else, it was Matt's redemption. He was no longer the strung out, paranoid, selfish older brother that he had to support. He stepped up and protected his daughter and their little sister when Chase wasn't able to.

He wanted to find somewhere good for them, too. Everyone worried about Lori, and rightfully so, but Chase hoped to find somewhere safe for his brother and unofficial sister-in-law. They deserved a life and they deserved to live it without the constant fear of walkers ruining their happiness. Glenn and Maggie deserved the same. Their whole group deserved it after everything they went through.

Before they knew it, the walkers were long gone and Chase knew what was next. Once they found the right spot, they were going to have to stop and map out their next step. They were terrifyingly low on food and water and they couldn't make it very far without it.

Stopping not too far from a creek, Chase looked ahead and saw Rick's vehicle come to a stop and the rest of the caravan followed suit. They didn't have much time and they would have to be careful, but it was as good a place as any. They could hopefully stock up on some water while they were at it.

The rest of the group steadily and uniformly piled out of the vehicles and took position. Chase never bothered with the map and preferred to have Rick and the others take lead. It wasn't even a year yet and Chase had had his fill of maps and desperate searching. He'd happily follow wherever Rick and the others felt best, but he was done looking on his own. This setup was definitely the preferable one.

Chase took watch beside Carl and twisted his hat to the side when he came up beside him. Carl just scoffed and looked up at him with a small grin, turning his hat back to the right spot. He knew not to bother him too much while on watch and definitely had no intention of offending or insulting his newfound maturity. Still, seeing flashes of the boy that was still there was nice.

Chase listened absentmindedly to the sound of the others gathered around the map. It was just another rerun, the same trouble appearing like it always did. Herds were too big and blocking off their better opportunities and the safe zones were already picked clean. T-Dog was right, they had practically spent the whole winter running around in circles. He wasn't sure how much was really left out there. Not without taking a risk or making a huge sacrifice.

He heard Matt take off with T-Dog and some of the others as they went looking for water and Kelly walked over to where Lori sat in one of the vehicles. He smiled at the two and sighed. It was hard to look at Lori and not imagine Jenni, just in the same sense it was hard to look Carl in the eye and not see his little girl staring back at him. He was thankful for the reunion because he never imagined they could get second chances like that now, but sometimes it was rather painful to have your former life staring right at you.

That left Carl with Chase as Rick and Daryl split off in hopes of hunting. They wouldn't be gone long, but it was enough time.

After his dad had disappeared behind the trees and was no longer within hearing range, Carl looked up over the brim of his hat and cocked his head back. "Chase?"

"Yeah?"

Carl squinted against the sunlight as he contemplated what he was going to say. "When...If we find somewhere safe soon...do you think we can try and look for Emaley? I wanna help...I can help now."

Chase sighed as he felt his heart _thud_ uncomfortably in his chest. "I dunno, bud. Matt and I spent months looking for her and Daryl doesn't even know where to start-"

"We can't give up on her, Chase! She's family. We've already had to look for a friend once...we know what to do now…" Carl interrupted his excuses with a stern, demanding look in his eye. Chase almost smiled at how much he looked like his father when he did that.

"I want to find her, too, Carl. I do...It'll take a miracle, though. Especially to find somewhere safe enough that would give us the time and resources to do something like that." Chase finally responded after a moment of silence. Carl was resilient and didn't take no for an answer when he already had it set in his mind that that was how it was going to be. He wasn't quite sure who he resembled more now; Rick or Lori?

Carl nodded, knowing Chase wasn't just being pessimistic about the future. They spent almost eight months combing the woods hoping a can of corn was going to be the difference between life and death for their whole group. There was no denying how dire their situation seemed.

The two stood in silence after saying their peace. The others would be back soon and they needed to make sure they had the all-clear to pile back in and leave as soon as possible. He needed to focus, but he couldn't stop thinking about Carl's request.

He wanted his daughter, he truly did, but he wasn't sure how much hoping his heart could handle. He felt like he was failing his only child by wondering if he should give up and move on, but he also thought about the what-ifs. He had heard about the group's search for Carol's daughter, Sophia, and he couldn't stop thinking about the similarities. If he found Emaley walking amongst the dead or just her corpse…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. No, he couldn't think about it. Not now, especially. Matt and T-Dog crawled back up the ditch with their jugs full of creek water. Rick and Daryl shouldn't be much longer. Matt helped T-Dog load the jugs into the back of one of the vehicles, laughing and joking without missing a beat.

Chase watched the two with a smile. Matt had had friends from before, but they all had selfish tendencies and were too self-destructive for his liking. Not that Matt was more innocent than those he hung around, but it still didn't help that that was who he allowed as his influences. But now, things were different. He seemed to hit it off with T-Dog and Chase couldn't have approved more.

His wandering thoughts were interrupted when Rick and Daryl scurried back onto the road from the woods, but empty-handed except for the few squirrels Daryl had tied over on a string over his shoulder. Instead of the mutual look of defeat and despair, Rick's eyes hovered over to Lori and washed over the rest of the group with a shimmer of hope that almost felt foreign.

Daryl shrugged his rope of squirrels off his shoulder and tossed it into the back of the truck as Rick waved Chase, Carl, and Beth over when he gathered close to the majority of their people. Allowing Carl and Beth to walk in front of him, Chase couldn't help but feel a little unsettled at the look dominating Rick's face.

"I know how this sounds and I know it sounds impossible, but while Daryl and I were hunting, we stumbled upon something. Something I think could be a gift to us, we just have to work for it," Rick paused for a moment as he tried to come up with the right words to explain his plan, "we found a prison. It has walls, fences, everything we've been looking for since the farm. There are walkers, but we have the room to control it. With all of us pushing in and fighting, I know we can do this."

Looks were shared and Chase was sure many thoughts were the same right now. Carol spoke up to voice the group's collective thoughts. "A prison? You really think _we_ can take a whole prison?"

Rick's jaw tensed and rolled for a minute before he spoke again. "I _know_ we can...and we will...it's our only shot and we aren't going to pass this up."

Chase watched as Rick turned and grabbed Matt to check on their weapons and ammo, his plan already forming in his head. He didn't know how he felt about the plan or if it was even possible, but he knew there was no arguing with Rick now, especially with his mind made up.

Stealing a glance at Carl as their previous conversation returned to memory, he shook his head at the painfully ironic coincidence. If they could successfully take something as gargantuan as a prison, it would definitely give them time to settle and piece together the broken shards of their lives, the room to really build a life for themselves, and could be a catalyst of better supplies and resources.

Carl looked over at him and gave him a knowing smile, probably thinking the same thing Chase was thinking. Perhaps this was the miracle they were all looking for...


End file.
